Axel Wachtmeister (13 January 1643 – 24 July 1699) was a Swedish count and

field marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...

. Axel Wachtmeister was the younger son of Hans Wachtmeister and Agnes Margareta von Helmstedt. His elder brother was Swedish admiral (and their father's namesake)

Hans Wachtmeister Hans Wachtmeister af Johannishus, ( – ) was admiral general of the Swedish Navy and advisor to Charles XI, King Charles XI of Sweden and King Charles XII of Sweden. He served in the Scanian War of 1675–1679 and during the following twenty ye ...

. His father was a member of an Estonian-Finnish-German family of incorporated Swedish nobles, and was elevated to the title of Baron of Koivisto, near Viipuri, eastern

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

, in 1653. Axel Wachtmeister distinguished himself in the

Scanian War The Scanian War (; ; ; ) was a part of the Northern Wars involving the union of Denmark–Norway, Electorate of Brandenburg, Brandenburg and Swedish Empire, Sweden. It was fought from 1675 to 1679 mainly on Scanian soil, in the former Danish ...

(1675–1679), became a

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

in 1676 and was appointed Major General in 1679. In 1697, he was appointed chairman in the

War College A war college is a senior military academy which is normally intended for veteran military officers and whose purpose is to educate and 'train on' senior military tacticians, strategists, and leaders. It is also often the place where advanced tac ...

, the headquarters of the Swedish Army. From 1680 and onwards, he had the title Royal Counsellor and was a close associate of King Charles XI. Baron Axel Wachtmeister became count of Mälsåker and field marshal in 1693. He married Baroness Anna Maria Soop (1660-1735), who married into the Gyllenstierna family after his death.

References

*The article ''Wachtmeister, Axel'' in ''

Nationalencyklopedin (; "The National Encyclopedia" in English), abbreviated NE, is a comprehensive contemporary Swedish-language encyclopedia with several hundred thousand articles. It is available both online and via a printed version. History The project was ...

'' (1996).
Axel Wachtmeister
Historiesajten
''Svea-Rikes Rods-Längd'' by Carl H. Uggla

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wachtmeister, Axel 17th-century Swedish nobility Field marshals of Sweden 1643 births 1699 deaths 17th-century Swedish military personnel Axel Military personnel from Stockholm